Once again, it's time to shake out the virtual mailbag and answer some of the questions you've been asking. The most interesting questions--and the ones with the widest appeal--appear here.
As always, you can send me your questions. I can't guarantee that I'll respond to all of them, but I do try to answer as many as possible.
Resizing Photo Files
How do I resize photos? You require Hot Pic contest submissions to be resized, and I'm not sure how to do that.
--Randy O, Reno, Nevada
This is a pretty common question, especially now that many digital cameras can take 10- or 12-megapixel images, which is generally way too big to e-mail or post on the Web.
Thankfully, help is close by. Pretty much every image-editing program has a resize tool. In Corel Paint Shop Pro, for example, look no further than the Image, Resize command.
If you don't have an image editor, you can download a free tool from Microsoft, the Image Resizer PowerToy for Windows XP. After you've installed it, just right-click on a photo to shrink it down to any size you like.
Avoiding Red Eye
I notice that you work a lot with cats and you don't get red eye. I have a beautiful cat and I love to take pictures of her but I frequently get red eye. Is there something I can do to avoid this problem?
--Gloria Abbey, San Mateo, California
Yep, animals are as susceptible to red eye as humans. Red eye is all about lighting. If you use a flash in a dark or dimly lit room, you'll probably get some. There are a few ways you can avoid red eye, however.
The best bet is to shoot only in well-lit environments, such as bright rooms with lots of sunlight coming in the windows. If you must use a flash in less ideal lighting, try bouncing the flash (if your camera allows that). To do this, angle the flash so it bounces the light off the ceiling or a wall. Another option is to get the flash farther away from the lens. If your lens detaches, hold it at arm's length from the camera. Finally, if all else fails, try using the manual red-eye correction in Corel Paint Shop Pro. This program has a special Animal Eye mode that lets you realistically repair dog and cat eyes.
Disappointing Results With a Digital SLR
I just bought a digital SLR with the kit lens. I also use a point-and-shoot digital camera. It seems to me that pictures taken with the point-and-shoot camera are a lot sharper than with the D-SLR. Is this usual? Is there anything I can do about it? It's very disappointing.
--Patrick Harvey, Rochester, New York
I feel your pain, Patrick. I suspect your lens is the root of your problem. Often, SLRs come bundled with a general-purpose lens (called a kit lens) that gets you out the door of the camera shop for a good price. Unfortunately, kit lenses are usually not of especially high quality, and they tend to focus "soft," among other problems.
If you can, visit a camera shop that lets you try out various lenses and take some test shots that you can evaluate at home on your PC. Also, keep in mind that modern lenses are at their sharpest in the middle of their f/stop range. If you shoot with the lens completely open or closed--such as at f/2 or f/32--it won't focus as sharply. Finally, don't forget that you can program the camera to add a touch of sharpening to your photos automatically. Often, that's not a bad idea.
For more advice, read "Demystifying Lenses."
Fixing the White Balance
I took a series of photos with my digital camera's white balance set for fluorescent lighting. The photos are sharp and in focus, but unfortunately, the colors are "off." What is the best way to correct the color?
--Jay T. Jones, Oak Harbor, Washington
Ah, I know all too well the sudden, sinking feeling of realizing that I shot a slew of photos with some setting completely wrong--white balance, resolution, or exposure.
Fortunately, the white balance setting isn't too hard to correct. Most image editors have white balance features. In Corel's Paint Shop Pro, for example, click the Enhance Photo button in the toolbar at the top of the screen, and then choose One Step Photo Fix (which does a slew of automatic corrections all at once) or choose Color Balance. If you pick Color Balance, the program lets you manually tweak the color balance with a slider that varies the white point in the photo from warm to cool. You don't have to be an expert; just pick the white balance that looks right to you and you're done.
Hot Pics
Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique. Every month, the best of the weekly winners gets a prize valued at between $15 and $50.
Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format, at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering, please read the full description of the contest rules and regulations.
This Week's Hot Pic: "Broken Bat," by Jeffrey Nycz, Collierville, Tennessee
Jeffrey writes: "I took this photo at spring training [last year] in a game with the Boston Red Sox and the Florida Marlins. I used my Canon 1D at 1/5000 of a second using a 400mm F2.8 lens set wide open at F2.8 to capture the instant when David Murphy broke his bat during a swing."
Hot Pic of the Month: Each month we choose one of our weekly winners to be the Hot Pic of the Month. For December, we chose "Slot Canyons," by Amy Zellmer, from Waterford, Wisconsin.
Congratulations to Amy and to everyone else who won a Hot Pic of the Week last month and throughout all of 2006. Keep those entries coming in the new year!
See all the Hot Pic of the Week photos online.
Have a digital photo question? Send me your comments, questions, and suggestions about the newsletter itself. And be sure to sign up to have the Digital Focus Newsletter e-mailed to you each week.
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